Syria 1

Listen to Syria 1, a 24-year-old woman from Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Spain. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject.

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: 24

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 1978

PLACE OF BIRTH: Spain

GENDER: female

ETHNICITY: Syrian (exact ethnicity unknown)

OCCUPATION: student

EDUCATION: some college study in theatre arts

AREA(S) OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE REPRESENTATIVE REGION FOR LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS:

The subject was born in Barcelona, Spain, and lived there for 11 years. She then moved to Saudi Arabia, where she finished high school. At the time of the interview, she was living and studying in the United States. In fact, the longest she has spent in Syria at one time is just a month. The subject was labeled Syrian because of her ethnicity (not her residency) and because, at the time, IDEA had no Syrian subjects. (For better examples of Syrian subjects, see Syria 3 and 4.)

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH:

Her first language is Spanish, and she did not learn Arabic until she moved to Saudi Arabia at age 11.

The text used in our recordings of scripted speech can be found by clicking here.

RECORDED BY: Josh Vignery (under the supervision of Paul Meier)

DATE OF RECORDING (DD/MM/YYYY): 02/12/2002

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF SCRIPTED SPEECH: 

wɛl hɪz ə stɒɾi fɒ ju sɛə pɛɹi wəz ə vɛt̪əɹinəɹi nɞs hu hæd bɪn wɞ˞kɪŋ deli æt̪ʰ  æn old zu ɪn ə dɪzɜ˞t̪ʰɪd̪ dɪstɹɪkt ɒv ðə t̪ɛɹɪt̪əɹi sə ʃi wɒz vɛɹi hæpi t̪u sta˞t̪ ə nju d͡ʒɑb  ʔætʰ ə sʌpɜ˞m pɾaɪvət pɾækt̪ɪs ɪnɒθ skwɛ  ni t̪u ðə niə˞ ðə djuk stɹit̪‿t̪aʊə˞ ðəʔ ðæt̪ ʔɹɪə wəz̥ mʌt͡ʃ  niɹə˞ fɒ˞ hə n mɔ˞ t̪u kɪɫ laɪkŋ̩ t̪u hɜ˞ laɪkɪŋ ivn̩ so ɑn hɜ˞ fɜ˞st mɔ˞nɪŋ ʃi fɛɫ stɾɛs ʃi et̪ əbɔɫəv̥ pɒɹɪt͡ʃ t͡ʃɛkt hə˞sɛlf ɪn ðə mɪɹə˞ æn wɑʃtʰɜ˞ feɪs ɪn ə hɜɹi ðɛn ʃi pʰʊ̹tʰ ʔɒ̜n æ pʰleɪn jɛlo dɹɛs an ə fliːz d͡ʒækɪʔ pɪkt ʌpʰ hɜ˞ kʰɪːt̪ ʔæn hɛdɪd fɔ˞ wɜ˞kʰ wɛn   ʃi gɑt̚ ðɛ˞ ðɛ˞ wɐz̥ ə wʊmən wɪð ə guːs weidɪŋ fɐ˞ hɜ˞  ðə wʊmən geɪv sɛɹə ʔæn ɐfɪflɛɾə˞ fɹɒm ðə vɛt̚ ðə lɛdə˞ ʔɐmpʰlaɪd ðəʔ ðə ænimæl kʰʊd bi sʌfɹɪŋ fɹəm ə ɹɛə˞ fɔ˞m ʔɒv fʊ̹t̚ ʔæn maʊð dɪziːs wɪt͡ʃ wɑs sɜ˞pɹaɪzɪŋ bɪkɒz nɔ˞mɑli jud ʔonli ʔɛkspɛk t̪u si ɪt̚ ʔɪn ə dɑːg ʔɔ˞ ə got̚ sɛɹə wɒs‿sɛnt̪ɪmɛntɐl so ðɪs meɪd hɜ˞ fiɫ sɒɹɪ fɔ˞ ðə bjudɪfɫ bɜ˞d bifɔ˞ lɑŋ ðæt̚ ʔit͡ʃi gʊ̹ːs bɪgæn t̪u ts tɹʌːt̚ ʔəɹaʊn ðɪ ɑfɪz laɪk ə lunːt̪ɪk̚ luˑnət̪ɪkʰ wɪt͡ʃ meɪd ʔɐn ʔn̩ sænɪt̪əɹi mɛs ðə gʊ̹zɪs onə˞ mɛɹi hæɹɪsn̩ kʻɛpt̪ʻ kɔlɪŋ kʰo̜mə kʰo̜mə wɪt͡ʃ sɜɹə θɑʔ wəz ən ʔo ʔɑd t͡ʃɔis fɒɹə neɪm kʻo̜mə stɹɑŋ ʔæn hjud͡ʒ so ʔɪwʊd̚ t̪eɪkʰ sʌm fɔ˞s t̪u t̪ɹæp̚ hɜ˞ bʌtsɛɹə hæd ə dɪfɹənt̚ ʔaɪdiə fɜ˞s sʲi t̪ɹaɪd d͡ʒɛntli sɹokɪŋ ðɛ gʊ̜zɪs loɜ˞ bæk̚ wɪð hɜ˞ paːm ðɛn sɪŋgɪŋ ʔɐ t̪uːn t̪u hɜ˞ faɪnəli ʃi ʔædmɪnɪs | t̪ɜ˞d ɛðə˞ hɜ˞ ʔɛfɔ˞ts wɜ˞ nɑt̚ fjʊ̹t̪aɪl in no t̪aɪm ðə gʊ̹s bɪkæn bɪgæn t̪u t̪aɪə˞ so sɛɹə wɒ̜z ebl t̪u hold ɒnt̪u kʻo̧mɐ æn gɪv hɜ˞ ʔə ɹɪlæksiŋ bæθ wʌn sɛɹə hæd̚ mænɪd͡ʒ t̪u baθ gə ðə gʊ̹s ʃi waɪʔ ʃi waɪpt hɜ˞ ɑf wɪð ə glɒθ ʔæn ʰleɪd hɜ˞ ɒn hɜ˞ ɹaɪt saɪd ðɛn sɛɹə kɒnfɜ˞m ðɐ vɛts dæəgnosɪs ɒlmost ɪmidiətɫi ʃi ɹimɛmbə˞d ʔæn ɪfɛktɪd æn ɪfɛlt̪ɪv tɹit̚mən ðæt̚ ʃikwaɪə˞ hɜ˞ t̪u mɛʒɐɹ aʊt̚ ʔɐ lɑd əv mɛdɪsɪn sɛɹə wɔ̝˞n ðæd̚ ðɪs kɔ̝˞s ɒv t̪ɹit̪mənt̚ maɪt̚ bi ɛkspɛnsɪv iðə˞ faɪv ɔ˞ sɪks t̪aɪms ðə gɒst ɒv pɛnɪsɪlən aɪ kænt̪ ʔɪmæd͡ʒɪn peɪŋg so mʌt͡ʃ bʌt̚ mɪsɪs hæɹɪsən ʔə mɪlɪənɛ˞ lɒjɜ˞ θɒʔ ɪʔ wɐz ə fɛ˞ pɹaɪs fɔ̜˞ ʔə kʻjʊ˞

TRANSCRIBED BY: Paul Meier

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 11/05/2022

ORTHOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH:

I was born in Spain, and that was in the 19’s, 1978. And, um, I lived there for eleven years in Barcelona. And then my dad who is an, ah, an eye doctor, um, got a job in Saudi Arabia. My mom was a family doctor and, um, she worked in Spain. But once they moved, once we moved to Saudi Arabia, she didn’t work anymore. She just stayed home ’cause we were, like, three children with her, you know. And we didn’t know any Arabic. So she started teaching us Arabic ’cause we were old in school. So they taught us a lot of, you know. It was hard for us to start from nowhere. We didn’t know any Arabic, so she stayed home and helped us with school. My dad, you know, um, worked as an eye doctor and they’re still there live, they live there. Well, I’ve never been to Syria, um, but, um, for a long time, I mean. But I never lived there for more than a month. We used to go there. When we lived in Saudi Arabia, we live, we, we use to go to Spain for vacation. The next, the following year to Syria, and then the following year to Spain. Then to Syria. So I don’t know Syria very well. My first language was Spanish, and I learned that for eleven years, and whenever, when I moved to Saudi Arabia, I start learning Arabic, which was really hard ’cause they’re real; it’s a really different language.

[When asked to speak something in Arabic, the subject said the following]:
Allaho Akbar Allaho Akbar
Ash hado au la ilaha illa allah
Ash hadu ana mohamad Rasool allah
Hayya ala alsalat
Hayya ala alal falah
Ala alsalat
Ala alsalat

[Translation provided by subject:
Pray to you, Pray to you
There is only one god
Your follower is Mohamad Rasol Allah
You are good
You are great
Wonderful god
Wonderful god]

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY: N/A

COMMENTARY BY: N/A

DATE OF COMMENTARY (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

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